Kelly Minnich, RD, LDN – Dietitian
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A licensed, registered dietitian, Kelly Minnich joined the CTCA family in June 2007 as a member of the Nutrition & Metabolic Support Department at Eastern Regional Medical Center. Minnich says she is pleased to be part of an organization like CTCA, where she has the ability to deliver the Mother Standard® of care to her patients each day.
Before joining CTCA, Minnich practiced oncology nutrition in several different healthcare settings, including the Joan Karnell Cancer Center at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia and the Holy Redeemer Medical Center in Meadowbrook, Pennsylvania. Minnich earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nutrition (part of the Coordinated Program in Dietetics) from La Salle University in Philadelphia.
Additionally, in March 2007, Minnich participated in a “Nutrition and Cancer Prevention Research Practicum” at the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.
At CTCA, Minnich is pleased to be able to provide comprehensive nutrition therapy for patients throughout the entire care process. She says that she and the other dietitians meet with every patient to provide an individualized nutrition plan. They make specific nutritional recommendations based on the patient’s cancer type and treatment regime. They also follow up with patients after their treatment is complete.
“We strive to be available for patients at home who may have nutrition-related questions and/or concerns before, during and after their treatment,” Minnich says.
Minnich says the nutrition team also collaborates regularly with the other CTCA departments to discuss patients’ treatment plans. Most frequently, they work with the naturopathic medicine, oncology rehabilitation and mind-body medicine departments to provide patients with individualized, integrated care.
In addition, Minnich says the nutrition team prides itself on keeping up-to-date with the most current nutrition research available through such credible sources as the American Institute for Cancer Research, the National Cancer Institute, and the American Cancer Society. She says the nutrition team helps patients differentiate among the various health claims out there. “It is important that patients can fully understand which claims are legitimate through evidence-based data, and which are inaccurate,” she says.
Minnich appreciates the fact that CTCA provides patients with a formal nutrition therapy program as they undergo cancer treatment. According to Minnich, research demonstrates that a patient’s nutrition status can directly reflect how he or she will respond to cancer treatment.
The nutrition team, Minnich says, has two essential goals. The first is to help prevent or reverse malnutrition. They try to accomplish this by helping patients find ways to meet their calorie and protein needs daily, and to help reduce any side effects they may experience from treatment. The second goal, she says, is to help patients make diet changes by motivating them to incorporate certain foods into their everyday lifestyle.